Wildmind Buddhist Meditation

Sit : Love : Give

sit : love : give

Wildmind is ad-free, and it takes many hours each month to curate, create, and edit the posts you see here. If you enjoy and benefit from what we do here, please consider becoming a subscriber, and supporting Wildmind with a recurring monthly donation, from $3 a month (what you might spend on one cup of coffee in Starbucks) to $80 a month (what you might spend on a meal for two people if you dine out).


You can also become a one-time benefactor with a single donation of any amount:


Related articles

Blogs

Yoga for young’uns: kids can benefit from meditation, too

yana kofmanIt never fails.

After dinner, the kids complain they are too tired to do their homework but once we’ve put on our PJs and brushed our teeth they are full of energy and bouncing on the beds.

That’s when we turn to the “Om.”

Yes, we meditate.

It’s not for long, 30 seconds at most. But it does the trick. As long as my husband doesn’t come in and start laughing, they settle down and we begin our bedtime stories.

The children learned the proper pose for relaxation and meditation from instruction in Yoga, which has become more and more popular for children.

They began practicing yoga in preschool and at the age of 2, could demonstrate downward dog, cobra, tree and several other popular poses. Many moms start with pre-natal classes and continue with mommy-and-me infant classes.

I spoke to Yana Kofman, who is the owner and director of Pediatric Therapy & Yoga of Morris [New Jersey]. She is both a yogi and a pediatric physical therapist. She has classes for children of all ages and caters to children with special needs.

Learning to hold yourself still and quiet, your mind is a timeless art. According to Kofman, some of the benefits she sees in kids include improved strength, stamina, coordination…

Read the rest of this article…

and digestion.

Children also enhance their ability to concentrate and focus, manage stress and relax themselves in order to fall asleep.

Kofman talked about how Yoga is a great complement to other sports because it teaches children to care for their bodies without the stress of competition and provides much-needed stretching.

Slowing down and focusing on a single task is very difficult for children, who live in a world that demands multitasking and constant hurrying.

“In children’s yoga classes we focus on asanas [yoga poses], eye exercises, conscious breath, relaxation and concentration. Each child has to focus on the pose she/he is doing even when other kids are falling, moving or talking. The emphasis is on the basic yogic belief; if you let your mind wander you will lose your balance!”

The relaxation part of her classes teaches children to handle real life stresses like anxiety before a test, dealing with a bully or unfriendly peers and calming one’s own mind in overwhelming situations.

There are several places where you and/or your children can practice the ancient art of yoga and meditation. Besides the many classes and services provided by Pediatric Therapy & Yoga of Morris you can also find Mommy and Me pilates classes at Commit to Change in Morristown and kids classes at Purple Om Yoga in Denville or the Lakeland Hills YMCA in Mountain Lakes.

About Wildmind Meditation News

avatar

We comb the internet, looking for news stories related to all forms of meditation, whether Buddhist or not. To date we have posted thousands of news stories that cover everything from meditation and health to meditating celebrities. When we publish a story that's favorable to or critical of one form of meditation, this does not imply that we agree with the stance of the original news story. Read more articles by .

Leave a comment

Yay! You've decided to leave a comment. That's fantastic! Thanks for dropping by! Please note that we get lots of requests for advice about meditation. It's got to the point where it's not feasible to reply to them all, and if your question hasn't been published within 24 hours, there's a good chance we just don't have time to reply.


(Not published)